The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Sophie's Bedroom)

The room was completely dark.

Sophie had turned off all the lights and was currently laying down on the mattress.

She had covered her entire body with a thick heavy blanket and was trying her best to fall asleep.

Nothing seemed to work. She had been trying to get some rest for what seemed like hours now with no luck.

Despite how exhausted she felt, it was a though something inside her just refused to let her relax and unwind.

Over and over, she kept getting flashbacks to the violent scenes that happened in the greenhouse.

The fear and terror that her mirror copies felt at the moment of their deaths kept repeating on a nonstop loop.

Sophie groaned as she began to rub her temples. She could feel a massive headache coming on as her mind descended further to a dark place.

Breathe in… breathe out…

Sophie gently inhaled and exhaled in an attempt to get her heartbeat to slow down. It did help a little bit, but she still felt like shit.

The hybrid girl grabbed the nearest pillow and placed it in her arms to hug. The soft fluffy warmth of the material brought a small amount of comfort to Sophie.

Think of happy thoughts… think of happy thoughts…

Sophie closed her eyes and imagined spending an afternoon at the beach.

She pictured the sun gently bathing her body with warm golden rays of light while the sounds of waves crashing could be heard in the background.

The feeling of soft sand on her feet and the salty sea breeze brushing against the surface of her skin.

Think of happy thoughts… think of happy thoughts…

Cleo was smiling at her while holding what appeared to be two glasses filled with red wine. Sophie gratefully accepted one glass and sipped the refreshing beverage.

The light sweet taste of the wine filled her mouth and brought a smile to her face.

She opened her arms and gestured towards her girlfriend that she wanted a hug. Cleo rushed forward into her arms and Sophie felt her warm body squash against her own.

It felt peaceful.

Sophie opened her mouth to whisper something to the princess when the scenery immediately shifted.

The clear blue sky became a murky red colour and the sun could no longer be seen behind heavy rain clouds.

Sophie could no longer hear the sounds of waves but rather the air was filled with the screams of the dying.

She looked around in shock as the beach was now littered with corpses in various mutilated states.

The faces of the dying belonged to people that Sophie instantly recognized. She saw her father gasping for breath as a sword was driven deep into his chest.

Astrid and Qiana had bodies that were burnt and blackened to the point where Sophie struggled at first to even identify who the corpses belonged to.

Her classmates from university… Lily… people and acquaintances she had met…

Everyone was dead.

The scent of rotten meat entered Sophie's nostrils and made her feel sick. She wanted to throw up.

What was happening?!

"All your fault!" "All your fault!"

Sophie wasn't sure who said it first, but the corpses rose up from the ground one by one and stumbled towards her.

They could only speak three words but as Sophie listened to their cries, she felt a primal fear and dread that she had never experienced before.

"All your fault!" "All your fault!"

"No... no... no… I didn't… I…" Sophie walked backwards in shock. She felt a tugging sensation on her chest and looked down at Cleo.

That was a mistake.

The princess was unlike the rest of the corpses. She was alive and radiant. The most beautiful woman that Sophie had ever seen.

No… she was no longer a mere princess.

Cleo wore the same navy-blue robes that the emperor once displayed, and her right palm held the Scepter of the Blessed, the scared artifact of the royal family.

Her facial expression was dignified and calm. She was like a block of ice with no emotions or feelings.

Except Sophie could see one emotion hidden behind the mask.

Hatred.

"Monster… beast… lunatic…" Cleo darkly whispered. The hatred and rage present in her eyes made Sophie's heart sink to the floor.

She dropped the princess and ran. She didn't know where to go or how to get away from this terrible place.

There was nothing she could do.

"All your fault!" "All your fault!"

The cries of the dead echoed in her ears as more corpses rose up from the ground to condemn and shame her.

"All your fault!" "All your fault!"

"Stop it… STOP IT!" Sophie screamed in pain. She turned around and used her bladed appendages to spilt the nearest zombie into two pieces.

She needed to make it stop. The noise needed to end.

Sophie's eyes glowed crimson red as she rushed forward and tore easily through the flesh of the undead army.

Kill… kill… kill…

She was like a machine. Sophie ignored the familiar faces and only focused on getting those annoying cries to stop.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity. The last corpse fell to the ground motionless and never to rise again.

Sophie panted heavily as she stood upon a mountain of bodies. She gazed at her blood-soaked hands and felt a rush of self-loathing.

"See… you bring nothing but death. A savage beast that deserves to put down like the mongrel you are," a dark whisper echoed through the beach.

Empress Cleo Sisrelis stood a fair distance away from the carnage, but Sophie could make out every detail of her face.

"Monster… beast… lunatic… tell me murderer… do you think I am wrong?" Cleo snarled as she clutched the scepter tightly.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Sophie growled hoarsely. She walked towards the empress with slow stumbling steps.

The hybrid girl reached the twisted version of her girlfriend and extended her bladed appendages outward.

"Do you want to kill me as well?" Cleo asked coldly as she stared directly into Sophie's eyes.

Sophie froze in place with the barbed tip of her appendage a mere few centimeters away from Cleo's throat.

"No… you… aren't her…" Sophie whispered.

A pinkish colour briefly flashed across her now crimson-red eyes as another power flowed through her body.

Sophie knelt down in pain as two opposing forces wrestled for control. The scenery of the beach shook and trembled as darkness crept in from the horizon.

Empress Cleo Sisrelis leaned down to say something in her ear, but Sophie shoved her away using as much force as she could muster.

She gripped her head in agony as her eyes constantly shifted from a light pinkish colour to a deep crimson red.

Just as Sophie felt as though her mind was about to split in two…

Ring! Ring!

Sophie woke up with a gasp and found herself back in her bedroom. The pillows that were previously on the mattress had now been thrown haphazardly on the floor.

It took Sophie a few seconds to figure out what had just happened. Somehow, she had fallen asleep and then…

Ring! Ring!

"Where is that noise coming from?!" Sophie yelled in frustration.

She turned her head towards the direction of the sound and saw her wrist communicator vibrating softly on the dresser table.

Sophie grabbed the metalloid device that was still ringing and saw a notification on the screen.

[Incoming video call… incoming video call… incoming video call…]

Ring! Ring!